180114 SE Philosophy of Perception (2021W)

Perception provides us with access to the world, is a distinctive source of value, and grounds a lot of what we know. In this course we will examine the nature of perception and its relation to other mental states. We will begin by studying the perennial debate over what it is to perceptually experience, paying special attention to problems posed by illusion and hallucination and the nature of sensible properties. We will study cutting-edge versions of the sense datum view, internal physical state view, representationalism, and naïve realism. In the second part of the course, we will investigate sensory qualities, perception of objects and amodal completion, perception of properties and expertise, audition & touch, taste & smell, and pain. As a result, you will gain a broad overview of the sort of work philosophers do on perception and gain the ability to critically engage with it.